


Like no one does

by babyliss12



Series: We'll take it slow (and grow as we go) [5]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Deaf Character, Fluff, Future Fic, Literally all the fluff, Look Esteban just loves Lance, M/M, Song fic, Tiny bit of Angst, and Lance just loves Esteban, deaf lance, honestly the fluffiest thing I think I've ever written, kinda a 5+1, kinda crack as well, they're adorable, tooth-rooting fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28860165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyliss12/pseuds/babyliss12
Summary: Esteban knows Lance like no one else, and in these moments he actually realises it.
Relationships: Esteban Ocon/Lance Stroll
Series: We'll take it slow (and grow as we go) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2014246
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	Like no one does

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the song Like no one does by Jake Scott - I highly recommend listening to that.
> 
> The differenent sections are from different lyrics and are all separate. This is also set way in the future so their relationship is known to the world. They also aren't in any kind of order so the timeline does jump a little.

> _How you talk in your sleep_

Esteban blinked awake staring at the ceiling. He wasn't sure what had woken him up but he felt surprisingly awake considering the suddenness of it all. Reaching over he hit the light on the alarm clock, making a surprised sound when he saw that it was 7:30. Not too bad for a weekend but still it was a Sunday, which meant it was automatically a lazy day. Rolling over he smiled at the sight. Lance was curled on his side, one arm extended across the bed showing that they must have been cuddling at some point. One of Lance's main grumbles about sleeping with Esteban was that although they started off together by the morning they were in opposite sides - Lance deemed this because Esteban was a twitchy sleeper and was forever complaining about waking up cold. Smile growing as he remembered all their mini not-fights, he reached out looping an arm around Lance's back, holding him close. Morning sleepy Lance was one of his favourite kinds of Lance. He was always adorably confused in the morning, not able to just get up and go like Esteban was. To Lance 8:30 was too early whereas for Esteban it was a special treat. He'd managed to get his timings perfect during the week - being able to get up do his first training session and still be back before Lance woke up. Their mornings had a very stable routine during the off season. Estebana, as the first one up was responsible for bringing tea back to the bed and making sure that Lance didn't actually sleep all day. 

He was broken from his musing by a mutter from Lance. 

Glancing down he saw that Lance's eyes were still shut which meant that he was sleep talking. Also a favourite thing of Esteban's. Half of the things Lance said made no sense and were just random thoughts but every now and again he said something that was true. For example he once ruined Esteban's suprise birthday party by talking about how he still needed to get cake. 

For what it was worth Lance had no idea that he did it. When Esteban had asked Lance had been surprised but then when Esteban had asked Claire-Ann she'd laughed and said it was an old habit. It came and went randomly, and it happened mostly when Lance was stressed about something and his brain was still thinking about it despite being asleep. 

"for sure… chickens are cool," Lance slurred out, sleep not helping his deaf accent as he referred to it. 

Esteban snorted, ever since Lance had drunkenly adopted a couple of chickens he'd been on a mission to convert his family into chicken lovers so they could come and live at the Geneva house. So far Lawrence was still putting his foot down, stating that they caused unnecessary mess (but Chloe had told Esteban that Lawrence was actually a little afraid of them). For the past couple of months Lance had been spamming the group chat with updates of the chicks, and threatening to just move them in without telling anyone. 

At first he'd been embarrassed when he'd seen his emails showing the certificate of adoption, groaning loudly while Esteban laughed at him but after a few days of seeing the baby chicks exploring, Lance had gone full dad mode. Pictures of the chicks had gone up around the house (they even replaced Esteban as Lance's phone background for a few days before Lance got annoyed with Esteban's pouting and changed it back.)

Lance wiggled in his sleep pressing closer to Esteban and grasping his shirt with one hand, letting out a content sigh. 

Esteban placed a kiss against Lance's temple. He savoured moments like these, the quiet calm of the morning when neither of them had to be anywhere. He couldn't believe that it had been nearly a year since they'd first met. Easily the best year of Esteban's life, even better than his first year of F1. And things kept getting better and better. 

Lance let out another small mumble, causing Esteban to stroke a hand down his face, taking in the sweet sight of his boyfriend sleeping. 

"love you este" Lance muttered. 

Smiling as he pressed another kiss into Lance's forehead - sure Lance's sleep talking could be irritating at times when he was trying to sleep and sure it sometimes ruined surprises but it was part of Lance, and so he loved it. And Esteban loved being the one that could see Lance like this, like no one else could see him. 

"I love you too," Esteban replied, fondly watching Lance. 

> _ Those commercials you like, how they always make you cry  _

Esteban shut the door behind him, sending a quick text to Lance that he was home as he did so. He let out a tired huff, it had been a day of meetings and now Esteban was tired, somewhat annoyed because of asshole investors and had a huge headache. Stepping on the back of his heel he slid one foot out of his shoe before repeating the action with the other one. As he did he shook his arms from his coat, hanging it up on the peg before moving forward into the house. He couldn't see any lights on in the kitchen but there was a faint glow coming from the living room so Esteban decided to check there first. 

As he turned the corner, he let out an exasperated sigh at the scene in front of him. Lance was curled under several fluffy blankets on the sofa, a mug of tea in one hand and a wad of tissues in the other. Normally that kind of thing would be cause for concern but a quick glance at the TV showed the reason behind Lance's mid-afternoon crying session. 

The screen was switched to YouTube and Lance was clearly making his way through his "crying" playlist - a collection of everything and anything that made Lance cry. Apparently Esteban was the weird one for not having a set playlist like that. 

The first time he's witnessed Lance using the playlist he'd been absolutely dumbfounded. Lance had been at a charity dinner for deaf children and had returned in a soppy mood after seeing lots of inspirational stories about said children. Unlike Esteban, who in that situation would watch something to cheer him up Lance had sat himself in front of the telly, turned on his playlist and cried for about half-an-hour before deciding he was done. He'd then wordlessly snuggled with Esteban acting like nothing had happened. When Esteban had asked about it Lance had indignantly responded that sometimes everyone needed a good cry and having a playlist ready was just handy. Overtime Lance had added to it; Christmas ads, sappy music videos, and even a fanvid of the two of them together (Okay even Esteban could admit it was cute but still.) 

Like with most of Lance's strange quirks, he'd nodded and just moved on, silently pleased that Lance felt comfortable enough around him to do all of it. 

Fondly shaking his head he made his way over, stomach swooping at the smile Lance gave him when he spotted him. 

Settling down on the sofa he cuddled into Lance's side, kissing him quickly on the lips before dropping his head on Lance's shoulder. He felt his exhaustion from the day slowly creeping into his bones and he wrestled some of the blanket away from Lance, choosing to ignore the noises of protest coming from Lance. 

Once he was adequately covered, he poked Lance in the side and signed "are you crying because there's actually something wrong?" 

Lance huffed in response but dropped the tissues, balancing the mug on his leg and signed back "Devon's inplant worked and the video was so cute - plus there's another video of us and I got emotional." 

It took a second for Esteban to work out the full sentences, although he was vastly improved with sigh language than the beginning of the year he still stumbled over the longer sentences. Signing back, "that's awesome," he grinned happily at the news. 

Lance moved to respond but let out a choking noise as the TV switched to the next video. A Christmas commercial from the year before about a hedgehog not fitting in but then making friends at the end. Even Esteban had to admit it was pretty damn cute and after feeling like an outsider for so many years he could relate to a hedgehog (not that he'd ever say that out loud.) 

Craning his neck, Esteban could see that Lance now had tears running down his checks, making no effort to wipe them away. Sensing Esteban watching him Lance looked down with watery eyes, a small smile on his lips despite the tears. 

"I'm the hedgehog" Lance signed, "and you're the fox."

At Lance's words Esteban felt tears spring up in his own eyes, rapidly trying to blink them away before they both ended up sobbing. 

Lance offered one of his own tissues but then gently wiped away the moisture himself. Shutting his eyes Esteban felt Lance's lips on his temple, opening his eyes again to find himself eye to eye with his boyfriend. 

"bad day?" Lance mouthed, face twisting into sympathy as Esteban nodded. A sudden determined look came over him, 

"let's cry," he stated, turning his attention back to the telly and skipping through a few videos until he landed on one of the fanvids. 

Esteban smiled shakily at the action cuddling closer. Maybe a good cry was the right thing to do after all - Maybe Lance was right. Of course he was right. Definitely one of Esteban's favourite things, Lance always knew what to do to make him feel better. 

> _ How you need a little space when you're mad _

Esteban winced as he listened to Lance slamming the bedroom door; sighing lightly as he blew out the candles on the dining room table. 

Lance had been away for a week and Esteban had planned a nice dinner as a welcome home treat but Lance had been in a foul mood since he'd walked in the door. Esteban had tried to push through, despite being hurt at Lance's brusque attitude, tried to make the evening nice but it had been like talking to a brick wall. For Lance it was very easy to ignore other people when he was annoyed, all he had to do was not look at them properly. Esteban had tried to engage Lance but had eventually given up and sat in silence as Lance banged around the kitchen, preparing a plate and storming out of the room. Switching off the stove pan which had been bubbling away, and taking a helping for himself, Esteban sank back into his chair. Listlessly stirring his spoon around the bowl he felt tears prick the back of his eyes. Huffing he dropped his face down onto the table, squeezing his eyes shut. He knew it was nothing personal but it damn hurt when Lance got like this. He knew the Canadian just needed space after something bad happened but it hurt not being able to comfort him. Eventually Lance would come and find him, apologise and talk about what happened but there was no real time-frame for it. He also knew Lance did it to avoid confrontation, to avoid saying something he'd regret in a moment of anger. The complete opposite to Esteban who struggled to keep his emotions back and preferred to speak his mind, even when it got him in trouble. 

He just wanted to able to comfort his boyfriend but he knew that if he tried to go to Lance it would only backfire. 

Letting out a rufull chuckle, Esteban recalled the first time this had happened. His repeated attempts at getting Lance to talk to him ending in a full on fight before Lance revealed what was wrong. Remembered the endless cups of tea and hot chocolate he'd brought as a peace offering that were left to grow cold, the promises and offers of help whispered to a closed door all going unanswered, and remembered just sitting in the hall in silence hoping his presence alone would bring Lance comfort. When Lance had finally opened the door, Esteban was more asleep than awake, dozing lightly That night they'd stayed up until the early hours talking about everything and anything, and Lance had revealed his way of coping was simply retreating into himself until the anger and frustration had passed. 

Lifting his head back up, he scrubbed a hand over his face considering his next move. He could hear Lance thumping around upstairs which meant that he still had some time before Lance let him in. Taking several bites of the casserole he glanced around the kitchen, making a note that the door still needed to be painted - a job they'd been putting off since moving in. The door had been used as a testing site for different paint colours, the lighting of the room letting them see the different shades - and wow didn't that sound domestic. Esteban chuckled lightly, despite having fallen for Lance quickly and been easily able to imagine a life with him after only a month, it was still strange to him that they actually owned their own home. They were actually domestic. It was bizarre, it felt so natural but at the same time, every now and again he found himself stopping and looking around in amazement - that they'd actually made it. Shaking himself from his revire he finished his meal, noting that it had all gone quiet. Smiling to himself, he placed the empty bowl in the sink and started preparing some hot chocolate, humming as he did so.

As Esteban walked through the house, mugs in hand, he took the time to appreciate the house. Sure it was still a work in progress, they'd only moved in a month ago after all but it was filled with little pieces of the two of them. The rug they'd brought on their first real holiday together, the endless pictures and trophies adorning the walls, the numerous house plants - in various states of life. Ever since his first visit to Switzerland he'd been in love but combined with this house and the promises of the future he felt like he'd never feel home anywhere else. Well that was a lie, as long as it had Lance anywhere would be home. 

Reaching the top of the stairs he noted that the bedroom door was still shut. Sitting carefully down cross-legged he placed the mugs next to him and knocked gently on the door. His little signal to Lance that he was there. Now all he had to do was wait. 

Slowly sipping his own hot chocolate, he heard footsteps from behind the door and the soft click of the door handle. As the door cracked open, Esteban wordlessly held out the second mug, seeing Lance give a shy smile in return as he sat down next to him. Wrapping his arm around Lance's shoulders, Esteban pulled him into a side hug. The only noise was the continuous ticking from the clock and the soft slurps from Lance. It was these quiet moments that Esteban really treasured, and truly showed the growth of their relationship. He knew Lance would always try and hide away when he was upset but all Esteban cared about was that he came back. And he always did. 

> _ I know all the weird things in your coffee cup _

Esteban stared blankly at the cupboard in front of him. Lance had texted saying he was on his way home and Esteban had decided to make him a coffee to greet him. Except it looked like it was going to be more difficult than he first thought. Boxes upon boxes of coffee pods lined the shelves and Esteban had no idea what any of them meant. Esteban was simple, he'd ask for a latte or occasionally a cappachino but that was as adventurous as he got. Lance on the other hand, to the suprise of no one, had fancy coffee tastes - and sweet tastes as well. Latte Macciato, caramel latte Macciato, vanilla latte, Napoli, Ristretto Italian… And on and on it went. He hadn't realised the collection was that extensive. Normally Lance was the one who used the coffee machine, after Esteban had one too many swearing matches with the thing. Which he still would say was not his fault. The machine just didn't like him. There were too many buttons and flashing lights and it probably sensed his fear and so just didn't work. 

For the most part he wasn't bothered, Lance could make the coffee, and Esteban knew that Lance liked the rhythmic nature of using the machine. But today Esteban wanted to do something nice which meant he had the master the coffee machine. 

Step one was figuring out exactly which coffee to use. Staring blankly at the cupboard again he decided to try something different. Closing his eyes he imagined Lance making the coffee. From his usual vantage on the other side of the kitchen, sat at the breakfast bar he envisoned a typical weekend morning. Esteban would have just finished making the breakfast and then Lance would start making the coffees. Keeping the image in his mind he moved his arm to where Lance would normally go to and grabbed that box. 

Bringing it back down to face height he opened his eyes and regarded the box. Latte macchiato. Okay, that's what Lance is going to get then. The next step was figuring out the machine, which he glanced at with trepidation. 

Admittedly it took several YouTube videos to figure out the correct way to get the pod into the machine but eventually he had it in. And after another video he'd worked out exactly what button to press. 

Saying a little prayer, and a whispered "this is for Lance so please work" Esteban took a deep breath a pressed the button. 

There were several seconds of silence and Esteban's stomach began to drop but it then started making loud whirring noises and clicking - similar to how it normally sounded when Lance used it. Esteban breathed a sigh of relief, watching as the glass slowly filled. 

Smile growing he checked his phone as saw that Lance would almost be home. Humming he grabbed the now finished mug of coffee placing it on the breakfast bar for the moment and brusied himself hunting through the tins for some of the fresh cookies. Their elderly neighbour, Mrs Duval had gone a slight baking spree when she realised she'd missed Lance's birthday. Which now meant they were inundated with various cookies and cakes. Luckily for Esteban his high metabolism meant he'd been blowing through them while Lance had sulked.

Placing one of his favourites, double chocolate chip, on a plate he put it next to the mug. Right on cue Esteban heard the front door bang shut, and he winced slightly. He'd lost track of the amount of times he'd told Lance not to kick the door shut, his complaints had fallen on deaf ears, leaving Esteban permanently exasperated about repainting the door. 

Moving from the kitchen, he gathered Lance into his arms, holding him close before taking his bags from him and ushering him into the kitchen. Dropping the bags by the stairs Esteban moved past Lance, picking up the mug and plate holding them out to his boyfriend with a smile. 

Looking bewildered Lance took them, a smile coming over his own face when he smelled the coffee and he mouthed thank you at Esteban before settling himself at the table. 

Lanceet out a small moan as he took a bite of the cookie, chasing it down with a swig from the mug. Looking up at Esteban's expecting face Lance grinned, signing "you remembered" 

"well of course" Esteban replied, "I do pay attention." Which was true. Despite his earlier hesitance he'd managed to figure it out and conquer the coffee machine. 

As if reading his mind, Lance asked "does that mean you can start making coffees more regularly now?" 

Esteban pursed his lips "don't get ahead of yourself" he shot back. 

He could make friends with the machine for Lance's sake, once in a while but there was no chance he was taking over coffee duties. And honestly there was no way Lance was letting him take over coffee duty, he loved it too much, and Esteban loved that he was that obsessed it. 

> _ I know your lying, the way that you're smiling _

Esteban watched Lance from the corner of his eye. The younger man was bouncing slightly on his heels a small smirk playing on his face. That same smirk had been there for almost the whole time they'd been in Singapore and Esteban was beginning to get concerned and for good reason - It was Lance's 'I'm lying face'. Esteban had picked up pretty quickly in their relationship that although Lance would say one thing, his smile would give him away. It was the 'I'm telling you one thing but that's not actually happening' - for example Lance would say that he hadn't eaten the last chocolate but his face would give him away. It only happened when Lance wasn't trying that hard to hide something - aka if there was actually something wrong he had a different expression which was shown more in his eyes. This was the haha I'm so sneaky look, you'll never catch on to what I'm doing look. 

The thing that was beginning to be concerning was that Lance had had that face for the last few days, since Esteban's birthday in fact. Being in between race weekends, he hadn't been able do anything too wild but it had been pretty good nonetheless. Lance had arranged dinner and they'd Skyped his family before watching a film out on the balcony. Not the plans most people had for their 25th but Esteban guessed he was going soft in his old age. Besides they'd had a little fun that evening as a treat *wink wink*

But no, the fact that Lance was still hiding something from him and Esteban was no closer to guessing what it was, was beginning to get on his nerves. He absentmindedly nodded to what his engineer was saying, mentally going through all the things it could be. 

Throughout this he kept staring at Lance, hoping the answer would appear sooner rather than later. Blinking himself back to the present he realised he'd completely forgotten about what was actually happening. Lance was signing "pay attention" at him and Esteban startled as he realised Mark was waiting for an answer. 

"erm I, ah, yeah, that all sounds good, fine with me" 

Mark looked at him with a exasperated expression and flatly stated "so you want to run a fully wet set up bespite there being no chance of rain and let Sergio beat you in both qualifying and the race?" 

Realising he'd been tested, and had failed, Esteban felt his cheeks heat up and he gave a few muttered apologies before putting all thoughts of Lance's smirk out of his head and concentrating fully on the information Mark was giving him. 

Because of the hectic schedule Esteban didn't think about Lance's smirk anymore until that evening, fully throwing himself into the preparation day. Singapore was very heavy on qualifying so it was vital they got everything right. 

Happily, since it was a night race and night qualifying it meant that the morning could be slightly lazy in comparison to regular race weekends which also meant the Thursday night could be a little lazy as well. However this didn't explain why Lance was dragging him towards the hotel bar after dinner, claiming that he wanted to see the view. The view of what Esteban wasn't sure, considering their hotel faced another hotel and all you could see were buildings but Esteban didn't fight that hard. He let himself be bundled into the lift, and he leant back against wall watching as the smirk returned to Lance's face and he fiddled with his phone. 

Waving to get his attention, Esteban signed "okay, what gives? What's the smile for?" 

To his frustration Lance just blinked innocently at him, "I don't know what you're talking about" he replied. 

One eyebrow raised Esteban stared at his boyfriend searching his face for any clues but Lance continued to stare back, the smirk still there. 

The ding as the doors opened interrupted their staring match and the smirk on Lance's face was quickly replaced by a huge grin as he grabbed Esteban's hand, pulling him from the lift and down the short corridor. 

Stopping outside the door that led to the roof, Lance turned to Esteban and signed "happy birthday" before turning and throwing open the door. The sounds of cheers and clapping reached Esteban's ears and his jaw dropped as he walked forward. 

The whole team were crammed into the bar, and Esteban could see banners, balloons and even a cake. Looking around in shock he felt a hand touching his arm. 

"suprise!" Lance signed, "did I get you?" he asked. 

Nodding, Esteban leaned down pressing à quick kiss to Lance's mouth ignoring the wolf whistles and cheers coming from the team. 

"thank you" Esteban signed and let himself be dragged over to the team, letting their congratulations wash over him. 

He knew Lance had been hiding something, but this was pretty good. Besides Esteban has still recognised something was up from Lance's smile alone, which was pretty good. He knew Lance rather well it seemed. 

> _ What you hate, what you like, I see all of your sides, And the new ones I'm trying to learn. _

Esteban leant against the door frame gazing into the room his eyes fixed on the chair by the window, fixed on his husband, fixed on the bundle in his arms. 

Despite having only been away for a few days, it had been the first time he'd left since the baby had come. He'd been so anxious to get back he'd taken an earlier flight than originally planned, ducking out of dinner with the sponsors, not wanting to be away for a second more than he had to. The last two months had been a whirlwind and Esteban had never been more tired but he wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Lance hadn't looked up yet, still rocking little Louis and cooing softly, the sweetest smile on his face. Esteban hoped that Lance realised he was there, it had happened a few times that the door alarm had failed and hadn't alerted Lance that Esteban was home. The first time it had happened Lance had broken Esteban's nose after he hugged him from behind, the Canadian breaking free of his arms and throwing a very solid right hook. Not that Esteban blamed him, he was mostly just happy that Lance hadn't still been holding the knife. 

A tiny cry shook him from his memory, his smile growing as he realised Louis had noticed he was there. He waved a small hand in Esteban's direction, wordlessly stating that he wanted his papa now. And how could Esteban say no to that face. Tiptoeing across the room because he knew Lance was trying to get Louis to sleep, he joined his small family. Brushing a hand through Lance's hair and kissing him gently he then did the same with Louis. He was Blinking sleepily up at his parents, gurgling quietly and Esteban joined in the cooing hoping to get him off to sleep. He silently shook his head as Lance moved to pass him over. Despite only being parents for two months it was easy to see that Louis enjoyed sleeping in Lance's arms more than Esteban's, not that he could blame him. Lance's arms were Esteban's favourite place to fall asleep as well. 

Esteban thought he'd learnt all of Lance's sides, seen all of his strange and wonderful quirks and thought he knew his strengths and weaknesses but recently Esteban kept learning more and more amazing things about his husband. Watching Lance be a dad was worth all the struggles that had come before. Watching Lance who had been so concerned about being a good dad, instantly know what their son needed. It was Esteban's favourite thing and he knew he was blessed to be here witnessing this new side of Lance. 

After a few more minutes of careful rocking Louis had finally fallen asleep and Lance gently stood up, crossing the room to the crib and as if Louis was made of glass, placing him down, handing him his stuffed monkey - the same one Esteban had won all those years ago in Geneva - and couldn't help the aww that slipped out as Louis grabbed onto it in his sleep. 

Esteban wrapped an arm around Lance, Lance automatically cuddling close and joining their hands.

Gazing down at Lance, Esteban couldn't help but be filled with a feeling of love. 

"he's perfect" Lance signed, eyes still locked on the sleeping baby. 

"You're perfect" Esteban signed back, feeling a familiar soppy smile take residence on his face. "I love you, I'm so glad you're mine" he continued. 

Lance smiled back, cheeks pink from Estebans words but leant up, brushing their lips together. 

"Forever" Lance muttered against Esteban's lips. 

Pulling back slightly Esteban promised "forever" back before surging forward, catching Lance's lips with his own once again. 

**Author's Note:**

> Ta-daaaa
> 
> This came into my mind on the bus one day and just would not leave me alone so here we go. 
> 
> If you don't have a crying playlist you're weird - the ad I mentioned is real, it's called the Erste Christmas Ad from 2018 - it's so damn cuteness 
> 
> It's so sodding fluffy 😂  
> So the Lance adopting chickens thing I have no excuse for - in a previous fic I mentioned Lance looking at Chickens when he was drunk so I just decided why not - and yes it is actually something you can do - my friend did it one night 
> 
> As always, comments and Kudos are love -  
> My tumblr is [fireessie](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fireessie) come say hi ☺️


End file.
